Freedom of Information

The City of Woodstock values openness and transparency, providing wide access to public information. Many records are available on our website or are regularly released under certain conditions. Property owners and authorized third-party agents can access Building Department records without filing a Freedom of Information Request.

For more details on accessing City information, please contact the Clerks Department.

Routine Disclosure: Access information about my property

Types of records available

  • Surveys
  • Lot grading plan
  • Site plan
  • Building plans and drawings

For access to the following records, please request a Legal Compliance Letter from the Building Department at 519-539-2382 ext. 3104 or 3102:

  • Inspection reports, 
  • Orders issued under the Building Code Act, and/or
  • Building permits and applications.

Records you cannot access through routine disclosure include:

  • Ownership history and details. Check the Land Registry Office records for this.
  • The identity of someone who filed a complaint.
  • Emails.
  • Records involved in active legal cases.
  • Agreements like encroachments or rights-of-way. For these, consult Land Registry Office records or submit a Freedom of Information Request.
  • Property tax information.
  • Fire Services records.
  • Details about banks.
  • Information on properties owned by the City, Province, or Federal government.

Building Records Routine Disclosure Request Form

The City has some property surveys and building permit records, but we can't promise we have what you need. Older buildings might not have permit records available, and even if we do have a survey, it might not be up to date.

If you need the most current and legal survey of your property, you might want to reach out to an Ontario Land Surveyor or check with these organizations:

  • Teranet: Visit teranet.ca
  • Service Ontario: Call 1-800-267-8097, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Visit Service Ontario
  • Land Registry Offices: They might have documents registered with the property title. Alternatively, you could contact the previous owner (the City will not disclose previous ownership information) or the professional who originally created the record, such as an architect, consultant, engineer, or surveyor.
  • Protect Your Boundaries: Visit protectyourboundaries.ca
  • Land Survey Records: Visit landsurveyrecords.com

  • Current property owner. 
  • A director of the management company responsible for the building on behalf of a property owner (proof required e.g., service agreement).
  • A third-party agent with the property owner's signed consent.

Third-party agents can obtain the written authorization by a current property owner by having the current owner complete and sign a Routine Disclosure Property Owner Consent Form. If you do not have written authorization from the current property owner, you must make a Freedom of Information request.

Once we confirm that you've submitted a complete application, we'll begin our review.

Processing your request usually takes around 15 business days.

Keep in mind, the City receives many routine disclosure requests and if we have to search through a lot of records to find the documents you need, we might need more time to avoid disrupting the delivery of our other services. Some building records are stored at off-site facilities, which may also delay processing timelines.

A $30.00 flat fee is charged for all Routine Disclosure Requests from the Building Department. This fee is non-refundable.

  • Online Applications: You can pay electronically when you submit your application online.
  • Paper Applications: Pay in-person at the Building Department located at 944 James Street, Woodstock, using credit card, debit, cash, or cheque.

We will release records (in PDF or paper format) once your payment is processed.

There might be an extra charge for photocopies. All fees include HST.

There are two options to submitting a Routine Disclosure request

  1. Online: Complete an online Building Records Routine Disclosure Request Form.
  2. In-Person: Print and complete the Building Records Routine Disclosure Request Form and the Routine Disclosure Property Owner Consent Form (if you're not the current registered property owner) and bring the forms, any supporting documents and payment to the Building Department at 944 James Street, PO Box 1539, Woodstock, ON N4S 0A7. You can pay in person with cash, debit, or a cheque made payable to the City of Woodstock.

Make sure to submit one application for each property address. We start processing your request only after receiving a complete application.

Freedom of Information Request

How to make a request

There are three options to submitting a Freedom of Information request

  1. Online: Submit the online Access Request Form.
  2. In-Person: Complete the Access Request Form and bring the form, and any supporting documents and payment to the Clerks Department on the main floor of City Hall, 500 Dundas Street, Woodstock, ON. 
  3. Mail: You can mail your request and payment to:  FOI Coordinator, Clerks Department, Woodstock City Hall. P.O. Box 1539, Woodstock, ON, N4S 0A7

Include as much detail as possible so that your request can be addressed quickly and accurately.

Contact Us

City of Woodstock

P.O. Box 1539, 500 Dundas Street
Woodstock, ON N4S 0A7
Phone: 519-539-1291

 

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